Is Kanter going to be a problem ?

[tenn_smoothie]

Is there a potential problem with Kanter upsetting all the good chemistry and camaraderie over playing time ?

I am reading that Stevens plans on starting Theis and bringing in Kanter with the bench group and the reasoning was sound. There is plenty of firepower among the starters so we just need defense and rebounding out of the starting 5 man. Kanter's offense will be more in need on the 2nd unit and his defensive deficiencies not as glaring against lesser offensive talent from the opposition's bench.  So that's great if it works out.

Having said that, Kanter became quite the malcontent during his Knicks tenure over lack of playing time, though I believe they just sat him on the end of the bench to save him for trading or whatever, not sure. Anyway, did Kanter come to Boston expecting to start and be part of the core offense ? Is he going to become unhappy if he is not ? Are his defensive issues more about agility and quickness or is it laziness ?

[Fierce1]

Kanter is used to getting limited playing time.

Why?

Because he's so bad on defense.

So, no, Kanter's not going to be a problem for the Celts.

[Boris Badenov]

Seems like you have a lot of hypothetical reasons for Kanter being a bad influence, without a lot of support.

And he’s been visibly one of the more upbeat and supportive guys around the team, in addition to running camps in the summer, etc...

Really don’t know what you’re going after with this one.

[Roy H.]

If he gets playing time, he’ll be fine I think.

[ozgod]

Is there a potential problem with Kanter upsetting all the good chemistry and camaraderie over playing time ?

I am reading that Stevens plans on starting Theis and bringing in Kanter with the bench group and the reasoning was sound. There is plenty of firepower among the starters so we just need defense and rebounding out of the starting 5 man. Kanter's offense will be more in need on the 2nd unit and his defensive deficiencies not as glaring against lesser offensive talent from the opposition's bench.  So that's great if it works out.

Having said that, Kanter became quite the malcontent during his Knicks tenure over lack of playing time, though I believe they just sat him on the end of the bench to save him for trading or whatever, not sure. Anyway, did Kanter come to Boston expecting to start and be part of the core offense ? Is he going to become unhappy if he is not ? Are his defensive issues more about agility and quickness or is it laziness ?

I think the reason he became unhappy at the Knicks was because he wasn't playing at all because he was considered "too old" while Fizdale pursued a youth system and was giving Kornet and Robinson all the minutes. I guess some miscommunications between him and Fizdale didn't help, nor the fact that he was playing for a shambolic, dysfunctional organization that couldn't manage its way out of a wet paper bag. Here's an article about it:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2019/01/24/new-york-knicks-enes-kanter/2665681002/

For us I don't think it would be a problem, given he has been part of the good vibes and chemistry thus far this season. Unless he gets sat and gets zero minutes. But if that happens we may as well trade him.

[Smartacus]

Kanter seems to have had a strong opening relations with Senator Markey and the Mass Senate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHRswUguZ7U

Kanter's political persona is as important to him as his basketball. I think he values the platform that he has here and he will accept whatever on the court role that he best fits into.

New York had no hope, Kanter has a chance to carve out a real legacy here both on the court and off. I am not worried.

[gpap]

Is there a potential problem with Kanter upsetting all the good chemistry and camaraderie over playing time ?

I am reading that Stevens plans on starting Theis and bringing in Kanter with the bench group and the reasoning was sound. There is plenty of firepower among the starters so we just need defense and rebounding out of the starting 5 man. Kanter's offense will be more in need on the 2nd unit and his defensive deficiencies not as glaring against lesser offensive talent from the opposition's bench.  So that's great if it works out.

Having said that, Kanter became quite the malcontent during his Knicks tenure over lack of playing time, though I believe they just sat him on the end of the bench to save him for trading or whatever, not sure. Anyway, did Kanter come to Boston expecting to start and be part of the core offense ? Is he going to become unhappy if he is not ? Are his defensive issues more about agility and quickness or is it laziness ?

I don't see anything rational or logical about starting a back-up power forward over a starting center. It's also quite early to be criticizing Kanter when he hasn't played a single regular season game for the Celts. The team needs his size and experience as much as he needs the Celtics. I think the question is will Brad Stevens and his coaching decisions be a problem? I'd literally start Kanter, Robert Williams, Vincent Poirier and Tacko Fall over Theis. I'd rather start 90 year old Bob Cousy over Theis.

[keevsnick]

Kanter has been an off the bench 21-27 minute a game guy almost is entire career. It would be weird if it became a problem for him now.

[Jvalin]

I reckon he's gonna be fine coming off the bench. I mean, he wasn't supposed to be a starter at Portland either. He only became a starter when Nurkic got injured. Not to mention, he spent 2 years as the backup center at OKC.

Btw, he's already my favourite Celtic because of his political views regarding the situation in Turkey.

Basketball is just a game. There are far more important things out there than 10 guys running up and down the court shooting a basketball. Athletes have a strong voice. Imo, they should use it to raise awareness whenever they see fit. That's the exact opposite of what LeBron did when he basically spoke against the freedom of speech: “Even though yes, we do have freedom of speech, it can be a lot of negative that comes with it.” If you ask me, that's a disgrace of a statement, that's what it is.

[Who]

His bad defense is down to a lack of work ethic on his part. He has some limitations physically but he has enough physical tools to be a capable defender. What he doesn't have is defensive fundamentals. An understanding of how to position himself off the ball. To be in proper position for help defense actions. What he doesn't have is a level of focus and desire to read the game on defense to try and see what is coming.

It is laziness. It is laziness on the court during games (focus, reading offensive actions) and more importantly laziness when it comes to his own personal development (in terms of learning basic positioning) for the duration of his entire career.

That is why I have never been confident in his ability to overcome to his defensive issues because he has enough tools to be useful on defense but he has never shown the work ethic necessary to use those effectively. He'll flash some positives for a few weeks and con you into believing he is maturing but then he'll fall back into old ways once again. Lazy is lazy. Kanter is lazy.

[Green-18]

His bad defense is down to a lack of work ethic on his part. He has some limitations physically but he has enough physical tools to be a capable defender. What he doesn't have is defensive fundamentals. An understanding of how to position himself off the ball. To be in proper position for help defense actions. What he doesn't have is a level of focus and desire to read the game on defense to try and see what is coming.

It is laziness. It is laziness on the court during games (focus, reading offensive actions) and more importantly laziness when it comes to his own personal development (in terms of learning basic positioning) for the duration of his entire career.

That is why I have never been confident in his ability to overcome to his defensive issues because he has enough tools to be useful on defense but he has never shown the work ethic necessary to use those effectively. He'll flash some positives for a few weeks and con you into believing he is maturing but then he'll fall back into old ways once again. Lazy is lazy. Kanter is lazy.

This is so true.  For the Celtics sake, hopefully he turns up the focus and intensity in the most important games.  I'd be very happy if Kanter matches last years post-season performance with Portland.  He will also have plenty of regular season games where his offensive rebounding and interior scoring is enough to give the team a major boost. 

One thing I'm not worried about is Kanter becoming a malcontent.  He'll be fine as long as the team is winning games.  If they're not, it's likely a symptom of much larger issues.

[tenn_smoothie]

Seems like you have a lot of hypothetical reasons for Kanter being a bad influence, without a lot of support.

And he’s been visibly one of the more upbeat and supportive guys around the team, in addition to running camps in the summer, etc...

Really don’t know what you’re going after with this one.

I am not "going after" anyone or anything.  I don't have hypothetical reasons, I am asking questions about a player who is important for the success of this year's team. The basis of my questions stem from an article I read recently about Stevens' plans for managing his rotations this year since last year was so chaotic in terms of playing time and player roles. Asking and discussing questions about the Boston Celtics is kinda the purpose of this forum, so back off.

I am hoping Kanter works out beautifully in Boston - I am also very happy to have a player who puts effort into offensive rebounding since the Celtics have steered away from that for awhile now. I'm sure Stevens will work on teaching Kanter man-to-man team defense fundamentals. So much of it is positioning, seeing the floor and anticipating the movements of your opponent. It will be up to Kanter to prioritize these skills as important.

[tenn_smoothie]

Seems like you have a lot of hypothetical reasons for Kanter being a bad influence, without a lot of support.

And he’s been visibly one of the more upbeat and supportive guys around the team, in addition to running camps in the summer, etc...

Really don’t know what you’re going after with this one.

[Surferdad]

We're coming back once again to the same basic issue:  The Celtics do not have a good option for a starting center.  If you start Theis and he can't contain Giannis/Embiid, what do you do?  R. Williams seems too green.  Poirier is a 3rd stringer (IMO).

So, despite the reports, I would start Kanter so that at least you get some offensive prowess out of the starting role.  Remember, teams will slack off him to cover the other 4 starters.

[jambr380]

In terms of line-up balance, I think it makes more sense to bring Kanter off the bench. With Kemba, Brown, Hayward, and Tatum needing shots, there aren't going to be a lot of opportunities for him. Starting somebody like Theis/Poirier/Timelord (not ready, I know) gives the Cs more of a defensive presence - which is needed with Tatum/Hayward on the front line - while also punting offensive touches from the equation for our starting Center.

I am sure Stevens has had conversations with Kanter about this already. He has feasted on bench line-ups his whole career while playing decent minutes. I expect he will be fine as long as he is playing. A Smart/Kanter/Edwards line-up off the bench should be pretty electric. Williams is probably included in that group for balance and I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Green push his way up the depth chart, too.

No matter what, it should be a fun season, and Kanter should play a big role in that!